Goodbye, 20″ Cinema Display. No Hello, 20″ LED Cinema Display?

Another one bites the dust. Another in Apple’s line of Cinema Displays, that is.

Apple pulled the 20″ entry-level model of their popular professional caliber display line Thursday, leaving behind only the legacy 30″ model and the 24″ newly updated LED Cinema Display with DisplayPort that was introduced alongside the new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros at the notebook event late last year.

Last time a model was pulled, its replacement was already available, since it was the mid-range 23″ display and the 24″ had already been announced and was available via the Apple Store. The discontinuation of the 20″ leaves a significant hole in the existing line-up, since the mid-range 24″ display is a full $200 more expensive than its smaller sibling. Curiously, AppleInsider is also reporting that all backlogs are to be cancelled and that no replacement is to be offered to fill those orders already existing.

It seems an odd move for Apple to leave such a gap in their offerings, and most retailers suspect that a refreshed model will be made available soon. If we look at the 24″ for cues, it’s reasonably safe to say that the new model would use MiniDisplay Port for video connectivity, and might offer power supply and USB hub functions as well. Suddenly those $400-range used 20″ Cinema Displays I found on craigslist the other day are looking mighty appealing, since all of my existing Apple computers still use the mini-DVI standard. Yes, I’m living in the past.

As of yet, there is no way for Apple users with Mini-DVI connected hardware to hook up with the new 24″ display, and presumably with any other forthcoming devices that will use DisplayPort tech. I think I’m gonna go inquire to that craigslist poster after all, before he realizes what he’s got his hands on and the price gouging starts.